The new Wisconsin Budget, signed into law on June 29, 2009, expands leave rights under the Wisconsin Family Medical Leave Act (“WFMLA”) to same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners. Wisconsin employers who are subject to the WFMLA should immediately update their practices and policies to comply with these new requirements.
The amendment defines “domestic partner” to include same-sex couples who have registered their domestic partnership with the Register of Deeds in their county of residence and same-sex or opposite-sex couples who are not registered but who must meet more stringent requirements. Read more…